SPARROWS

 Five-striped  Sparrow

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Amphispiza quinquestriata

The Five-striped Sparrow is the most southern native sparrow seen in North America. This subtly handsome, gray, black, brown and white sparrow is found along the Mexican border and Arizona.

The Five-striped Sparrow is 6 inches long and have a wingspan of 8 inches. They have a black-and-white throat stripes (five stripes, including the white central throat), brownish upperparts, and gray breast with a black central spot.

The song is a series of short, high-pitched, gurgling phrases.

Feeds heavily on insects and other small invertebrates during the summer months. They will also feed on berries and seeds, with vegetative matter perhaps making up a larger portion of the diet during the winter months when insects are less available.

Found in areas of dense shrubbery and ocotillo in the Arizona portion of their range, particularly where such vegetative cover is found on sloped hillsides. They use similar habitat as well as dry open woods in the Mexican part of their range.

Found along the eastern Gulf of California region and Pacific region of mainland western Mexico, with a breeding range that extends into the southern tip of the U.S. state of Arizona, the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range containing the Madrean sky islands, of southeastern Arizona, extreme southwestern New Mexico, and northern Sonora.

The nest is a deep cup of grasses, placed in vegetative cover such as in a thick clump of grass, a dense shrub, or in other dense vegetation.

The female usually lays 3 or 4 eggs and she alone incubates them.

SOURCES:
https://ebird.org
https://en.wikipedia.org
https://www.sdakotabirds.com
https://www.birds-of-north-america.net